Carina Beauchamp had been born Carina de Rothschild, born into wealth and privilege, as a part of the English muggle aristocracy. Gala’s were nothing new to her, and she had always enjoyed the large glittering lights and the dancing under the stars. The stars were Carina’s favorite part of any night, but as she grew her father and her step-mother had turned her into a regular lady. She was taught all of the manners that a proper debutante was taught. The fact that she was magical in no way made her less in the eyes of her father, and he treated her with the same care and affection that he treated her half sisters.

Tonight’s gala gave her the chance to dress up and spend the night with Henry James Blanchet, and maybe if she was lucky she could get him to dance with her. Dancing with Henry was special. It was not the fast paced, energy driven dance that she and Damion had performed at the school on Valentine’s Day. Dancing with Henry required almost nothing from her, she could close her eyes and trust him, and she knew that he would never lead her wrong. Tonight she was looking forward to spending that time together. Even if they were surrounded by a hundred other people, the two of them had a habit of finding themselves alone.

Coming out of their bedroom and spinning in front of him she curtsied slightly. “I’m ready mon amour.” She approached him and laid her hand felt on his chest, looking up at him and pressing her lips to the underside of his jaw. “I’ve been looking forward to this all week.” Carina was excited. Tomorrow Cynthia was coming home with her and Lyra, and they were officially going to be a family of five.

When they finally made it away from the cottage and all the way to Italy Carina was all smiles. The stars were shining tonight and the candle light glittered all across the lawn. It was truly going to be a wonderful evening, and while there were people milling about all around them she was ready to spend this enchanted evening with her husband.

The Dress

Henry Louis Beauchamp was the luckiest homme alive, and didn't he know it. His life had not always been so perfect, and each time he gazed upon his wife @carina or their perfect children, he remembered how life could have been very different for him had he not met Carrie that day at Gringotts bank.

When she walked out of their bedroom and seemed to glide across the room towards him, he was momentarily struck dumb, unable to do more than to gasp at his wife as she seemed to radiate beauty and confidence. He would never be used to the perfection in every movement on a daily basis, but he knew that when she was dressed to the nines like she was... She looked like heaven... And he was unworthy of her attentions.

'Perfection would be envious of you tonight, mon cherie.' Oui, still, selfish as he inherently was, he wouldn't be able to let her go. Ever.

'As have I, mignonne,' he told her, tilting his head so that he could kiss her properly. 'But are you sure you want to go? The gala's all the way in Italy, and we could stay here and capitalise on the fact that our children are safely away from the house for the first time in... Forever?' He asked, a faint whine in his voice as he gave her his best hopeful look before breaking it and laughing loudly, tipping his head back.

'I'm pushing my luck, of course, mignonne! I'm looking forward to meeting the mysetious Count and twirling you around the dance floor.' He assured her, taking her hand in his and interlocking their fingers, his thumb stroking hers as he walked them towards the door. 'And I want you to enjoy yourself entirely tonight, so I will be the designated apparator, cherie.'

With that, he lifted her into his arms as he had the day he'd first carried her into the house, and stepped out of their anti-apparition field, being sure to kiss her as he twisted, sending them both to Il Palazzo Di Villafranca and hopefully an entirely enjoyable evening.

When they arrived, he watched his wife rather than the stars she was always so fond of. He found her strangely more captivating than anything, no matter how many times she tried to convince him to look. Especially when they were above her and their light fell across her face to show the adoration they held for her.

'Are you ready Carrie, mignonne? Come, we should greet the Count.' He whispered, not truly wanting to interrupt her amazement at the beautiful Palazzo, but noticing the Count greeting people. They should announce their presence, it was expected. There would be time for admiring her as she admired their surroundings later. For now, they should do their duty.

Outfit

A Gala! Laelia was going to a Gala! She'd prefer to call it a Ball considering how she was dressed, but it hardly mattered at all, because she was going to go, and @trace was going to see her all dressed up!

She couldn't quite contain her excitement no matter what she did, even when she thought of the fact that she had no idea who the Count was, and had spent the day humming and dancing about, trying to pretend that she wasn't as affected by the situation as she really was. Several students had commented on it, wondering what was making her so happy, but they'd been left wondering because she'd just smiled to herself and told them that something good had happened in her life.

Oliver had understood, of course, and had quite rightly warned her not to go bouncing around quite so much in a dress as low as hers. She'd laughed at his teasing as she rushed from the house and donned her cloak, apparating to just outside the castle grounds before flying to Il Palazzo Di Villafranca.

Entering the castle proper, she walked quickly through the entrance hall, slipping the cloak from her arms and throwing it into the air, catching her bag the next instant as it transfigured into her clutch.

She was quite happy to be back in Italy, feeling as if it was her first home, as it had been. She spoke fluent Italian, and she felt some anticipation over finally being able to use her language skills again. Her name was Roman, of course, in fact her surname was the only thing which suggested she was born to English parents, or even that she was born in the last 2000 years.

Trace could take her breath away in his Professor's robes, so she steeled herself against the inevitable seizing of her lungs when he was dressed as he would no doubt be tonight. Taking a deep breath in a dress like this was another thing she'd told herself wouldn't be the best idea, after all.

'Am I late?' She mused, twirling around to see if she could find him.

Dress

Ronnie wasn't a fan of crowds. She supposed that had probably carried over from her line of work, but it was something that was ingrained in her all the same. She didn't like dresses either, and tonight had called for dresses and crowds. Veronica was well aware of just how out of place she felt here, but she had come nonetheless and as she held tightly to James's arm she realized that he had to feel even more out of place than she did. At least she was a witch, she did belong here in a sense. James did not, but he came anyway, to support her, just like she went to muggle parties of the same nature with him. They went together. They always did.

Smiling at the server that offered her a drink she shook her head lightly. She didn't drink at parties. She didn't drink in public. There was something of a constant vigilance ingrained in her being that didn't allow her to lower her guard in public. Maybe, if she could come up with a reasonable way to leave the Gala early, then a night cap would be in order when they returned to London, but for now nothing. Scanning the crowd she watched as the Mao's bowed to the Count and then walked away. Knowing that she had to greet him and thank him eventually she decided now was as good of a time as any. "Come on."

Giving a gentle tug to James's arm she let him lead her over and stop in front of @cip , they had met already, in the Ministry, but it was still only polite. "Count." She smiled warmly at him, because even if she didn't like parties, and even if she did have three knives hidden in her garter belt, she was still a Southern Lady when it came down to it, and she did have manners. "Everything looks wonderful. Thank you for all of this tonight. You've out done the rest of us Delegates upon our entrances, that is for sure." The redhead nodded once at the decorations and then focused again, "This is my husband James Alexander. James, this is the Count of Villafranca, and our new Italian Delegate." Ronnie didn't want to monopolize the man's time, but somewhere in the back of her mind her mother was congratulating her on remembering to be a Lady for once.

Outfit

Tiwaz wasn't really one for big events, with his job at Hogwarts, there was often events held there which he frequently tried to avoid. The only reason he'd come to this event was for the sake of Sophia, they hadn't been able to attend a huge event like this as a couple before, last time they were mid argument. The wizard cleared his throat as he waited in the hotel that he had booked for him and Sophia to stay from this evening up until Sunday. He'd promised his significant other that they would go to Italy and eventually Paris and he kept his word. He would return to Italy for the summer where he had their own little event planned out, but for now the weekend was good enough. ”Are you nearly ready babe?” He called, approaching the bathroom and knocking on the door; he'd been ready for a while, wearing a well chosen outfit, Sophia had good taste in his opinion. Ti still hadn't seen Sophia's dress, probably because she knew fine well that it would probably be in a heap on the floor if he saw beforehand, at least today he'd have to restrain himself, they had somewhere to be after all.

The Wizard paced around the hotel room before dropping onto the bed and sitting on the edge waiting for her; he was slightly tense because of the whole scenario they were starting to work on repairing, but he knew that when his girlfriend walked out of that bathroom he would relax. Ti hoped that Sophia wouldn't end up having to work on this gala, he just wanted to relax and enjoy the evening, he knew that Sophia's best friend was going and Ti was glad to know that Damionkvothe would also be there, at least that meant he held the company of someone he enjoyed other than Sophia. Tiwaz also knew that Samuel was going to be in attendance with some mystery girl who he was curious to meet, ever since the disaster of a relationship with Daisy he'd been so concerned about his best friend and was glad that he seemed to be moving on – he wasn't certain yet though, he'd figure it out when he finally got to meet this girl. Sophia had mentioned to Ti something about Samuel coming to visit a girl called Calliope a few weeks ago and he wondered if that was his date for the night. According to Sophia though, Calliope wasn't exactly the best person. A heart breaker, someone who would walk all over you in high heeled leather boots, no doubt he would be able to judge for himself tonight.

Tiwaz had made the decision to ask Damion to take his girlfriend's company for a little bit when they saw each other, he really needed to speak to Colemet; the reasoning was difficult to keep low key, at least if Colemet knew it would ease a little bit, and he was almost certain Damion would find out from Colemet, if not Ti himself would probably tell Damion and Samuel together.

His mind was wandering now and he tried to dismiss the thoughts when he finally heard the bathroom door open and he looked up. The Wizard's eyes widened and he felt his mouth opening in surprise when @sophia had walked out, sure he'd seen her dressed up before, but for some reason this time it was different, she was breathtakingly beautiful and he couldn't believe that the witch before him was his. Tiwaz opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before finally speaking, ”Wow...” He breathed, sending his gaze over her, he cleared his throat again and stood up, striding across the room and holding her waist, moving into a tender kiss. ”You look beautiful.” He said, his voice hoarse. Tiwaz blinked a few times before moving to take her hand, ”We need to get going. If we don't, we won't get anywhere.” He murmured, peppering her cheek with kisses.

Outfit

Oriel liked parties, mostly, but right now he was not in the mood for one. He really wasn't, but @adeline had asked him pretty please to be there so he could take pictures of everyone's outfits for her. So here he was, because he was a good colleague, alright? And because he'd be damned if he'd let and entitled arse stop him from doing his job, even if he would actually rather stab himself in the face than run into him tonight. Nevertheless, here he was, but he would only stay as long as was strictly necessary. Not a second longer.

But now, he was stuck waiting for Adeline to arrive, because she had to point out which people she wanted pictures of. And he really couldn't do this one hundred percent sober. Well, he could, but he didn't want to. So he headed over to the bar, where his colleague @theodore was manning the bar, and leaned up against it.

"Theo, mate, how 'bout a whiskey?" He asked, looking over the room. Maybe if he spotted @calandra or @damionkvothe he'd go over to talk, if he'd drunk enough to not mind being here anymore. He'd already seen @charlotte but something told him she would rather have 'someone else''s company rather than his friendly one tonight.

outfit

The Hogwarts professor had been in a right mood when he really shouldn't have been, he knew that. Normally receiving an invitation to a gala like this should have brought intrigue and perhaps a little excitement to find out who the Count of Villafranca was. His name hadn't really come up anywhere that Samuel could recall. And even with Easter Break now here he still should have been happy that he now had more time on his hand and he could spend that time however he wanted. But something had just put Samuel in a sour mood, though he would never let his students see that. No, he would rather they just see the happy and approachable professor he wanted to be.

Samuel really hadn't wanted to come to the gala because of his mood. He would have been content in staying at home where he could play his guitar or sleep or whatever. Well that had been his plan until @cali had approached him about the gala and enquired if he was going. When he had stated he wasn't she had started to twisted his ask to convince him to come. And he had given into her, hence he had to state that he would go if she was going to be his date and only then. Samuel had won out that occasion which he was naturally smug about.

This had led them to where they were now. At the very impressive villa of the Count. Samuel looked around for his sister or his best mate but couldn't see either of them yet in the crowd of guests who had already arrived. ”So darling…..what do you think so far? he asked Calliope whom he thought looked downright stunning tonight.

Outfit

Jamie wasn’t one for parties, typically speaking. In fact, he generally avoided them like the plague, particularly Ministry parties. The gala wasn’t strictly a Ministry party, of course, but many of its attendants would be Ministry like himself, and quite frankly, he didn’t care to be around most Ministry folk anymore than he bloody had to be. He went in and did his job, and that was the only obligation that he had to them. But lately, he found himself slightly more willing to go to these parties now that he had someone to go with. It was amazing how much better he felt about the situation knowing she was on his arm, and knowing that she was completely aware of his situation. He knew he could always come with Nicholas, who was there to cover for him no matter what, but Nicholas was a known face, and Jamie rarely had the comfort of his brother around at events like this for long. Bringing Callie as his date made for a better arrangement, because it meant that she was almost always by his side, and that was enough to let Jamie relax a bit.

Jamie figured that he and Callie could both use a night out this evening, and there was no better occasion than this one, he figured. He knew Callie had a lot on her mind after what he had found out the other day regarding her job at St. Mungo’s. He didn’t blame her for being upset about it, of course, but he simply couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that she had left for that. It was a tragedy, and he wasn’t trying to mitigate it at all, but Callie was a Healer. She ought to be at St. Mungo’s still rather than Hogwarts dealing with Quidditch injuries and minor spell mishaps. She was good for more than that. He knew better than to press on the issue while it was still fresh on her mind, so he was saving that battle for another day and was in turn doing what he could to get her mind off of it and bringing her to this party.

Jamie walked into the elegant estate with @calandra on his arm, and he looked around instinctively. There were a fair few people already there, and the party was well underway. The place looked regal and elegant, seemingly nothing out of place even in the slightest. It was just as elaborate as the ball that he had taken her too during the holidays, if not more so. “Bloody hell, just when I thought they couldn’t get better…” he said. After taking in the scenery, he turned and looked at Callie, comforted just by the sight of her, and he looked her up and down. “You look stunning, love,” he told her with a bit of a smile.

Outfit

Aldrich didn't mind socialising, particularly amongst people of his own social caliber. He went to enough parties and business deals and so forth. But he hated having to go with his wife. Any time spent with @aria is too much time. There was something about her that irritated him, it gnawed at his nerves and made him even more irritable than he usually was. Not that anyone noticed, of course. After so many years of being together they had their interactions in public perfectly rehearsed. Yet just... hated it. With a fervent passion. 

He pinched the bridge of his nose as he leant against one of the cabinets outside of their changing room, where he wife was still busy getting dressed. It had been him who had told her, under no uncertain terms, that she was to look her utter best whenever they went out together. As his wife should, no matter who she was. It was bad enough that she'd spoiled the Davenports' pure line, he wouldn't have her besmirching their name any further.

Did it have to take so long, though? Couldn't she just start earlier? 

"Are you done yet?" He called at the closed door, temper obvious from his tone of voice.

outfit

Ryss still wasn’t quite sure how one night had turned from sex with no strings to this, but she honestly didn’t mind. @hebites was honestly fun, and the fact that he was a vampire she couldn’t really care less about. She had been on a rather wild and reckless streak. It was amazing that something really awful hadn't happened to her honestly. Maryssa wasn't sure what that really awful was though. She didn't much care about anything at that point. Even now, as she held onto Nahuel's arm as they entered the lawn where the Gala was being hosted, she wasn't sure that she really cared. Being with a vampire had been interesting for the past month. They had become friends, and tonight she guess could be considered a date. Were they dating? Did one date a vampire? No, she supposed not, but tonight was a get dressed up date.

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind one of her ears as they made their way through the party. Stopping at the bar Maryssa ordered herself a glass of pink champagne. If they were going to be spending a considerable amount of time at this party tonight she was going to at least be buzzed. She loved over at Nahuel as she waited for the bartender to hand her her drink. "How many of these things do you think you've been to?" It was an honest question. Ryss was full of questions, she supposed that was part of being a journalist really, but she was always a bucket of questions. Accepting her drink with a nod she took his arm again as he led her further into the party, and she waited for his answer.

The Dress